Motherhood
by Tashwampa
Summary: Sally understands the joys and sorrows of being a mother, especially to her beloved and missing son: Percy.


_**AN: I'd like to dedicate this one-shot to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. It means so much. But most of all I dedicate this to every mother and my mown mother and that they all have a splendid Mother's Day filled with happiness joy, and appreciation. **_

"Percy! It's time for your bath!" Sally Jackson called to her three year old son. He waited just outside the bathroom and she laughed as he waddled in trying to get in the water by himself. Unlike most children, Percy was always eager for his next bath, and she could never get him out.

"Mama!" he yelled putting his hands on the rim. She wasn't getting him in the water fast enough. She lifted him from his underarms and placed him carefully in the tub. He splashed happily in the water, and blew soap bubbles at her.

"Percy, you need to be careful. You might get soap in your eye." She chastised wiping his face for him.

"No soap in eye!" he proclaimed kissing her nose.

"Exactly." She smiled kissing his nose, and tapping it. He giggled and clapped his hands. She sang and hummed quietly. Bath time was almost revered in their household. It allowed her to step away from some of her fears. She knew that monsters would eventually smell him and come running after her sweet little boy.

"Oh, Percy." she mumbled, soft enough so that she didn't mar his bath time with her grown up fears.

__

Sally Jackson was a mother. She knew this fact and she loved it. Or really she loved him. Her sweet and kind son, Perseus. Well, Percy. He was honestly the only reason that she worked at the candy store. She wasn't extremely fond of sweets, but it was the only place that would hire someone without a high school diploma. So, at the moment she was nearly driven to hysterics. Apparently, on the playground Percy claimed some man was stalking him He'd claimed him to have one eye. A Cyclops. A Cyclops had followed her son. The thought itself made her shiver in fear. She'd kept calm in the principal's office, but at home, she was nearly falling apart. It was time. She had to send him to camp. She sighed and put her head in her hands. But she was struck with a bout of genius. Poseidon said his smell could be masked, by a repugnant human smell. Maybe…Sally had a friend who was a bartender. She'd said that there was a repugnant man who was there all the time.

"_Honestly, Sally, he's the most disgusting man I've ever seen. I hate him, but he pays." Her friend had shrugged and __Sally laughed at her friend's attitude__._

Sally didn't want to. This man was disgusting, and horrifying. She wanted nothing more than to leave the man here to his own horrible devices. But she saw Percy's innocent face in her mind's eye. He didn't ask to be a demigod. He simply was. She knew she had to protect her young son. It was her duty.

"Hello. My name's Sally Jackson."

__

Sally sighed heavily. A satyr was watching Percy. It was only a matter of time. She'd married Gabe, so that Percy could be safe. She was being selfish now. Keeping him near her. He needed to be around other people like him. Not his silly mom who couldn't cut the umbilical cord. She wished that he wasn't in sixth grade. It was almost a given that he would have to go now. She stood up from the crate in the back of the candy store. She walked stiffly to the counter and plastered a fake smile on her face.

__

Waking up was disorienting. She had no idea why she was in her apartment. She thought she was with Percy going to the camp.

"Gabe?" she asked her tone scared. She heard what sounded like a poker party and gave a bitter smile. At least she could count on some things to be the same.

"Sally? What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" Gabe nearly growled.

Dead? Oh, yes the Minotaur. But then she should be dead. She could remember the pain as her organs nearly collapsed on each other. Then she was just here.

"No, I'm here. I don't suppose you could tell me where Percy is?" she asked sweetly. Inside she was slowly dying. Please, oh God, let her baby be alright. Please, don't let him die. He was just so young. So, so young. Then Gabe said words that made her so happy she nearly kissed him.

"He's been travelling the country, terrorizing people."

"Oh, thank God!" she cried. Eddie looked up and gave Sally a weird look.

"Strange woman." Gabe snorted and smoked more of his cigarette.

"Have you heard from him? Percy I mean? Is he alright?"

"Haven't you been listening? He's a criminal. Oh man. You're back. I need to give the life insurance check back." He said sadly.

Sally was barely paying attention to Gabe's words. She went to the phone and dialed the camp.

"Yes, hello?"

"May I speak to Chiron, please?"

"Excuse me? I'm quite sure you have the wrong num—"

"Listen, this is Sally Jackson. I'm Percy Jackson's mother. Please, can you tell me if he's alright?" she nearly begged. There was silence for a few seconds and Sally broke into quiet sobs.

"No! I'm sorry Ms. Jackson you caught me by surprise. Percy is on a quest. He is fine I'm sure." Chiron said. He was lying. She didn't even need to see his face.

For almost a day Sally waited. She still cooked for Gabe and she put a decent dent in the mess that Gabe left in her absence. Then there was a knock on the door and Sally moved wearily towards it. How long would this godforsaken quest last? When she saw the face there, Sally nearly cried. It was Percy. Handsome, sweet, loving Percy. She was glad to have him back and was hoping Gabe wouldn't ruin it. She flinched when Gabe rose his hand to her. She saw the look in Percy's face and saw how angry he looked. The realization. The hard look in his eye. She hoped to Poseidon that her son wouldn't become a murderer, because he looked as if he was after blood. When he showed me the package he made it quite clear what it was. He would get rid of Gabe for me. Free me from the horrible marriage I put myself into just to keep him safe. But I couldn't do that. He was my son and it was my job to protect him, not the other way around. He proposed to stay at camp and I swallowed the lump in my throat. People always said that children relied on their parents, but I sometimes wondered how true that was. Percy was who _I_ relied on some days. He kept me inspired to go on and made my days so much more beautiful. I loved that boy, and by the gods I wanted him to stay with me. But he needed to go to camp. He needed someone to guide him and teach him. Not a coddling mother. I watched him leave and felt a large flare of anger at the brash way he called to me, as if I were a slave. Oh, perhaps Percy and I could keep a garden a stone statue might look good…

When I found out Percy was staying with me, I felt knee shaking relief. I know that it may be pathetic, but being alone in the new apartment wouldn't be the same if he was with me. My baby was not completely safe, but now at least he had experience. I was beyond happy to the point of delirium. I danced around the house for weeks overjoyed that my son would be close.

Years passed and I watched my son grown into a young man because of the adversities he'd faced. I watched as lines of worry appeared on his young face. But he was still so vibrant so wonderful. Even in the face of war. I prayed and cried to every god I could think of. I _needed_ my son to survive. It was the only way I could go on with life.

When the war was over I made a feast when Percy was home. Nothing but the color blue everywhere. I found myself smiling into nothing, still overjoyed with the lack of violence. Perhaps now it would just be simple things. Things I knew he could defeat. I worried still. It was the only thing I could do as the mother of a demigod.

He was gone. My son kidnapped by a _goddess_ so that once again, he would be fighting their wars. I knew the gods could easily strike me down, nothing more than a simple mortal speck in the world that they loved to watch and entertain themselves with.

"Hera what have you done?" I asked anger lacing my tone. She didn't answer me of course. Annabeth told me she was trapped somewhere. I couldn't help but feel a fierce vengeful happiness. I didn't really want her harmed, but some discomfort would be fine with me. I hated her for taking my son, asking him to fight when he'd already been through so much, _done_ so much for those ungrateful brutes who called themselves gods. I laughed again sadly and tipped more wine into my glass. I couldn't recall if I'd ever done this. Probably not. I loved Percy so much and wherever he was. Whatever danger he was in, was all Hera's fault. I sighed at the empty thoughts I was having. What good would it do to blindly hate the gods like this? It wasn't as if I was getting anywhere. I heard the Paul shuffle into the room.

"Sally?"

"I know, I'll be in bed soon, honey. I'm sorry." There was deafening silence and I waited.

"I know that you might argue, but I miss him too. He's a tough kid. He'll fight whatever they throw at him." He said quietly. I looked up my bloodshot eyes filling with tears. He sat down and embraced me his soap permeating my nose and wishing I could be sure.

"What now?" I asked sounding like a child.

"We wait."

I'd finally recovered from my near alcoholism and whistled as I opened the door to the apartment. Annabeth told me the general idea of where Percy was and now I wasn't _too_ worried, though now I directed all my attention on that area for monuments being destroyed or random acts of violence from teenagers. Any sign of Percy. I saw the answering machine beeping and set the groceries on the counter pressing the button.

"Mom," he said. I _knew _that voice. That was Percy Jackson, my son calling me on a phone somewhere in…Alaska?

"Hey, I'm alive. Hera out me to sleep for a while, and then took my memory, and…Anyway I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest—" Sally gave a derisive laugh. How was she not surprised? Nothing short of the end of the world and the destruction of everything could stop him from contacting his mother.

"I'll make it home. I promise. Love you." The call ended but Sally felt as if he was right there waiting. She knew it was useless trying to call. NO doubt something had pulled him far away from that phone. She sighed when a new feeling rose within her.

"Paul!" Paul ran into the room nearly sliding on his socks as the glided across the floor.

"What, what is it? What's wrong?" he panted.

"Percy's alive. And he's coming home."

**AN: I just wanna say, that I love my mother and everything she has ever done, and that every mother has a good one today!**


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